Jealousy
by kakagurl
Summary: She always stood quietly in a corner, watching as they threw themselves all over him. It was not her place to stop them, no matter how much she wanted to. It was never her place when it came to him. Kakasaku.
1. Jealousy

**A/N: This is a one-shot, but if you want, it can magically be morphed into a multi-chaptered fic. Leave a review, if you please.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not some sad American girl who lives everyday wondering what it would be like to own Naruto.**

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Jealousy

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It had been a while since we had been Team Kakashi. We all hung out together. We were friends. But, we were not a team anymore. Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi all went where I could not follow. Kakashi rejoined Anbu, reclaiming his position as Captain of the Fourth Division. Naruto's and Sasuke's division. 

I was a medic, through and through. I stayed a jounin, content with what I had. I worked double shifts at the hospital. It was rare that we were ever assigned a mission together. But, they needed a diplomatic team. Sasuke and Kakashi both were amazing with words (Kakashi never charmed those he knew well with his wordplay. He preferred playing the role of a sadistic bastard with us). And, Naruto had a habit of making friends in strange places. Me? I was there because, somehow, some strange man might have a thing for ugly, pink-haired girls. I was part of the package. That was why they sent me. I didn't lie to myself as we went to visit the Raikage in Cloud Country. I knew I was just extra baggage.

We were to gather in the ballroom at Cloud Palace for a giant party in honor of the Raikage's daughter, who was celebrating her twenty-fifth birthday. We went our separate ways as we were taken to rooms by the ambassador who was supposed to guide us. Mine was richly furnished and absolutely gorgeous. I changed and followed my ambassador out of the apartment complex.

I had never seen anything as beautiful. The trees, with their thin, elegant branches wreathed in soft pink buds; the grass, rich and green beneath our sandals; the water, sparkling beautifully beneath the late winter sun; the gently arching bridges crossing the slender streams; the stone-paved paths weaving across it all… It was breathtaking, the beauty of it all singing in my blood with every step I took as the ambassador led me to the ballroom.

My body rebelled. It didn't want to stray from the sweet crisp air. It wanted to stay and absorb the gentle sunlight; it wanted to watch the fiery sky until the colors faded from view; it wanted to wander the gardens endlessly, never having to face Kakashi in the dress I was wearing.

It was a beautiful dress, and I did not do it justice. It was black and hugged my not-so-impressive figure before lessening at my hips to fall in a long, flowing skirt that reached my stiletto-clad feet. Long slits wandered up the sides, almost reaching my hip. They swayed open with each step, revealing my long, pale legs, contrasting starkly against the rich black fabric. My hair was done up in an elegant French twist, a few strands of vibrant pink hair falling to the side to frame my face. I wore a touch of make up; a hint of lip gloss on my pink mouth, a bit of mascara on my long lashes.

Eventually, though, I could stall no longer. The ambassador guided me through the rice-paper-paneled doors. I took a brief moment to appreciate the elegant swans painted on the paper before I was ushered through the doors and into the gentle lantern light of the ballroom.

I felt their eyes on me. They stared at my hair. I hated it so much… People never saw me. All they saw was pink.

I lifted my head and searched for familiar faces among the crowd. I spotted Kakashi instantly, and my heart spluttered as I saw his face. He had taken off the mask (as ordered by Tsunade-shishou) and he was smiling at me. It was a smile that made me feel weak. He was so beautiful. I could never compare. He, like Sasuke and Naruto, wore a western-style suit and tie. There was nothing traditional about this party. He looked better than it was fair to in the suit he wore. It was unbelievably unfair.

I didn't stand a chance with him looking like he did. My heart wouldn't be able to take the stress.

I shouldered my way through the crowd towards Kakashi and Sasuke and Naruto (who was waving enthusiastically). I finally made my way to them after what felt like an eternity.

To say I was surprised when Kakashi took my hand in his was an understatement. He stared deep into my eyes and smiled. I felt weak, like jell-o. "You look beautiful, Sakura." He murmured, his voice unbelievably smooth and chocolaty. I was entranced, staring up into the eyes of the most beautiful man in creation. The fact that he was unabashedly lying to me ruined it somewhat.

"Thank you." I said, looking away. Naruto bounced forward and grabbed my hand as well, proclaiming that I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. I just rolled my eyes, thanking God that Hinata wasn't the jealous type. Sasuke just stuffed his hands into his pockets and told me that I wasn't quite as ugly as usual, and I smiled. Coming from Sasuke, it was basically "You look very nice, Sakura," in the language of normal people (I do have a degree in Sasuke-ese. So does Kakashi and Naruto).

I accepted a glass of wine from Kakashi and sipped it lazily as Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto went off to perform their magic. I would just get in the way.

I watched them like a hawk from across the room, my hands clenching into fists as the Raikage's beautiful daughter flirted unabashedly with an unaffected Kakashi. I wanted to march over there and punch her so hard she wouldn't be able to see properly through both eyes for months. But, it wasn't my place.

It wasn't like I was Kakashi's jealous girlfriend. I had no right. Yes, I loved him. I hadn't told him yet, and we weren't in any sort of relationship outside of one that was strictly friend-to-friend and nothing more. He was a bachelor, and he could do whatever he liked.

She was throwing herself all over him, her arms wrapped around his bicep. I couldn't hear what she said, but I was certain that she was gushing compliments as Kakashi awkwardly smiled and thanked her as he tried to extract her from his arm. I could tell that this was what Kakashi was doing because he was _Kakashi_. He had a strict no-relationships-when-it-comes-to-work rule. No matter how beautiful she (or he) was, Kakashi would not bend.

Hatake Kakashi was a heart-breaker, through and though.

And he had already broken mine.

**A/N: It's just a stupid one-shot. I might elaborate, but I might just need a little nudge -coughreviewcough-. Thanks for reading!**


	2. From a Distance

**A/N: Well, I guess this isn't a stupid little one-shot anymore… This chapter switches POVs, so hang in there. It can get really confusing. And, I'm sorry that I couldn't fulfill some of you're requests, because if I did, this chapter would be far too depressing. I promise that I'll get to it in the next chapter. Also, this story might be rising in rating to K or T some time in the future, so if you can't find it, look for it there.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.**

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From a Distance**

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Kakashi's POV 

Team 7 had become very important to me over the years. Yes, each and every one of my students had left me (they left me for _the _Sannin, which took a bit of the sting out of it) and, yes, they though I was just some porn-reading idiot (which I resent, because Icha Icha is _not _porn. It was a liberating romance novel that is admittedly a bit graphic) and, yes, I got absolutely no respect from them and, yes, they made me feel incredibly old, but they were my cute little team of happy-go-lucky munchkins (with the exception of Sasuke. The day he smiles is the day Hell freezes over) turned fearless shinobi (though still mostly on the short side). They were my team of bouncy teenagers (or were they in their twenties?) and I loved each of them dearly.

Although, by feelings for a certain pink-haired kunoichi exceeded the limitations of a teacher-student turned friend-friend relationship.

Just a smidge.

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Sakura's POV 

Kakashi had attracted even more admirers. It was all I could do to keep from marching over there and breaking that pretty little blonde's too-perfect nose. She was giggling and batting her eyes at him, clinging to him with all her other too-pretty friends. It was sickening, really.

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Kakashi's POV 

Okay, a lot.

She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman with a killer right hook and the softest of smiles. She was bubbly and sweet, but, if you ticked her off, you were sure to be subjected to her infamous Fists of Fury (as Naruto had learned countless times). But, if you stayed on her good side, Sakura was really quite amazing.

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Sakura's POV 

Oh, the things wanted to do to that red-head draped across Kakashi. I would take those extensions of hers and _make her __**eat**__ them_. These thoughts were not healthy, but I couldn't help it. Kakashi wasn't some bauble to be claimed and tossed away. He was worth so much more. He was my (adorably) awkward, drop-dead-gorgeous, freakishly strong sensei who also happened to be one of my best friends. He deserved someone who would stand by him and love him and stay true to him, someone like…

_**…you? **_**Inner Sakura **chuckled cynically.

Surprisingly, I did not explode. I felt pain and sadness squeeze my heart. _It isn't my place._

_**Honey, that has got to be the worst excuse ever.**_

_I know…but it's the only one I have._

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Kakashi's POV 

Now, normally, I'm not a coward, although I do enjoy hanging back and watching things unfold before joining the fray. But, with Sakura, I couldn't bring myself to tell her how I felt. Sure, I dropped the occasional hint, giving myself excuses to take her out to dinner because she had "done well in training" or had "taken good care of Mr. Ukki". Surprisingly, she indulged her teacher. And, after I walked her home and 'poofed' away, Genma would begin one of his favorite activities, dramatically dubbed "Annoying the Cyclops". He would question me and pester me until I cracked, but I never did. The man was far too perceptive for his own good.

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Sakura's POV 

I could tell that they were giving him offers normal men didn't refuse, but he was. They just pressed harder. They simpered and giggled and clung, hanging on his every word, which were few and far in-between. He didn't bask in the attention like Naruto would. He didn't smirk like Sasuke. He just stood and endured it, politely refusing everything they offered and excusing himself occasionally, only to come back to be pounced on once more. My hands tightened around my glass, thin spiraling cracks spreading across the glass. _Those…_

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Kakashi's POV 

Of course, being separated hit our team's worth ethic. Hard. I rejoined Anbu (flattery goes a long way, especially when it's coming from Ibiki) and so did Wonder Perv and Mini Me (though if I called Naruto and Sasuke this to their face, I would have no face at all. It would have been neatly done away with by a combination of Ransegan and Chidori – funny how things come back to bite you in the butt-) Not only did the two wonderful –coughstalkerscough- boys join Anbu, but they also joined my division. I got to see their faces everyday (and, unfortunately, every night as they haunted my dreams). Yay for me.

But, unfortunately, more of Naruto and Sasuke meant less Sakura. She pulled double shifts at the hospital and I rarely saw her. It really wasn't a fair trade, even if it was two-for-one.

I could see her in my mind's eye, smiling that soft smile that shimmered beautifully in her emerald eyes, her hair gently floating about her shoulders to frame her face…

"_Kashi-kun!_"

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Sakura's POV 

Kakashi's an amazing guy. But, he's probably the stupidest genius I know (and I know a lot of idiotic geniuses). He'd do something unbelievably cool, then ruin it by pulling out Icha Icha and bursting into giggles; he'd say something so incredibly deep that you would be taken aback and you'd just stare at him in amazement and awe and then – _wham! _– he would walk into a door; he'd do something so sweet and caring that you wanted to cry, and then he would tell you that you're new jeans made you look fat. Kakashi was the master of screwing up the most perfect things.

Example 1: My eighteenth birthday. He bought me the most beautiful crystal rose. It was wrapped in pink tissue paper nestled snuggly in a long, thin red velvet box secured with a white bow. It was made with the utmost craftsmanship, every detail carefully brought into being through the glass, the crystals throwing rainbows across the walls. Hidden within the folds of pink paper was a simple card: "This rose can never compare to your beauty."

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Kakashi's POV 

Now, I enjoy attention as much as the next man, but I would have preferred Sakura's gentle, warm voice to the high-pitched squeal of none other than the Raikage's daughter, Kira. Or was it Mira? I hadn't been paying attention. My mind had been occupied with thoughts of pink-haired girls that were strictly off limits.

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Sakura's POV 

It would have been perfect and staggeringly romantic (if not corny) if he hadn't scrawled "Just kidding!" across the thick, luxuriant (and very expensive) paper in red Sharpie.

Example 2: Our "date".

**The Date**

Sakura had a feeling her day was going to get bad and fast. For one, Ino had left her a little note saying "Meet me at the Café on Fifth Avenue." The girls only ever went to the cozy little café nestled between a loud grocers and a quaint little animal shelter when Ino wanted to discuss Sakura's love life (or lack thereof). By the time Sakura's lunch break rolled around, she had decided to face her friend and whatever the girl had cooked up for her.

Sakura pulled off her white lab coat and wandered off in a pink top and a matching skirt. Both were gifts from the sadly fashion-sense-deprived Naruto, but it was the thought that counted, right? Sakura had her plain black purse slung over her shoulder, her hair tied back in a no-nonsense ponytail. If she had known she was on her way to a blind date, she would have turned and ran. She hated blind dates with a passion that almost rivaled Naruto's obsession with ramen.

Ino was waiting for her outside, dressed in her usual uniform. "Hey, Forehead!" She called out, waving enthusiastically. Sakura heaved a tired side and weaved her way through the lunch crowd to her friend's side.

"Hey, Pig." She said wearily.

"You won't believe it! Genma and I were talking last night," Ino began enthusiastically, "and he said that there was this guy he knew who has the same, er, problem… as you do, so… guess what!" She finally burst, and before Sakura could voice her opinion, Ino went right out and said the accursed words. "I set you up on a blind date!"

Sakura went rigid, her eye widening before narrowing drastically, the look she was slanting her blond friend promising pain. "You did what?" She asked dangerously.

"I set you up on a blind date!" Ino chimed happily, completely oblivious to her friends barely controlled anger.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Sakura exploded, grabbing her friend's thin shoulders and shaking her. She didn't care anymore if she was making a scene.

"Well, you wouldn't come if I did…" Ino said innocently, pulling the cute act.

"But… you should know… and…" Sakura floundered a bit before finding her voice once more. "I'm leaving." She said firmly, pulling away and turning.

"Wait!" Ino called, grabbing her wrist and tugging her back. "Your date's with Kakashi!"

Sakura stared, wide-eyed.

She was going to be sick.

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A/N: Sorry, but I had to end it there. Hopefully, the next chapter will make up for the lameness of this one… Leave a happy little review :)**


	3. The Face of Deception

**A/N: Hey. Sorry for the wait. No more speedy updating, unfortunately. You know, school, studying, grades closing… You've heard it all before. Hopefully, this chapter makes up for it.**

**Also, I have no idea whatsoever of whether or not my Raikage looks like the actually Raikage, so don't take my descriptions to heart.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I am simply a girl with far too much time on her hands.

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**The Face of Deception**

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Sakura's love life was for from spectacular. Every date she had ever been on had sucked. A lot. Her unplanned date with her silver-haired ex-sensei was no exception. It was up at the very top of that list._

_She had very nearly throttled Ino as she saw the distant figures of Genma and Kakashi approaching from down the street, coming from the direction of the Jounin Headquarters. She was completely prepared to turn and bolt, making a beeline for the hospital and her meal of pulverized peas and a soggy turkey salad sandwich when Ino grabbed her shoulder and stopped her, her blue eyes strangely intense and serious as they drilled into Sakura's emerald ones._

_"You'll never get an opportunity like this again." She said, pulling back and giving Sakura the opportunity to run._

_"He doesn't know, does he." Sakura whispered, pain coloring her voice._

_"Know what?" Ino asked, surprised at the raw emotion in Sakura's voice._

_"He doesn't know about the date. He wouldn't come otherwise." The hurt in her eyes was overwhelming._

_"N-no." Ino said haltingly._

_"I knew it." Her voice was filled with bitterness. "Why do I always have to pick the untouchable ones?" Her whisper was so quite that not even Ino, standing only a foot from the pink-haired medic, heard it._

_"Yo." Kakashi said lazily as he came upon the two girls standing outside the café. Sakura's head snapped up as she stared at him with wide, panicked eyes._

_"Hey." Genma drawled, his senbon bobbing up and down as it glittered in the noon sunlight. Ino grinned and wrapped her arms around he waist, hugging her boyfriend tightly. "Hey." She murmured with a lethargic smile._

_"So, what do ya think?" Genma prompted, looking up from the blonde woman in his arms._

_"What do I think of what?" Kakashi asked blankly/_

_"The blind date, man."_

_"A blind date? With Sakura?" Kakashi asked incredulously. "For once, you're joke is actually funny," he chuckled. Sakura stared with wide eyes, pain squeezing her insides. He had… He really though she was just some kid. He didn't care for her at all. Not one bit._

_This time, Sakura did run._

_No one stopped her.They never had and never would, for she was always running. Always running from…_

_Her fears._

_Her pain._

_Her problems._

_Always._

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Parties for annoying blonde brats weren't what they were there for. What did giant balls have to do with peace treaties anyway? Sasuke was with the Raikage, chatting; Naruto was becoming fantastic friends with the equally blonde Hideki, the Raikage's son; Kakashi was getting pretty friendly with Hideki's little sister. What was Sakura doing? Sitting in a corner by a group of waitresses discussing Kakashi's physical attributes. Somehow, the conversation always managed to get back to his butt. Didn't they have something better to do? 

Evidently not.

Sakura wanted to tear her hair out. She wanted to scream at those waiters to shut up. She wanted to march over to Kakashi and kiss the living daylights out of him. But, most of all, Sakura wanted to drag that annoying blonde and that brunette twit with the wandering hands off of Kakashi. They were practically _in his lap._ Sakura's fingers twisted into fists in the silken fabric of her evening gown, curling and uncurling with a vengeance, wrinkling the smooth silk. Her free hand was resting against her thigh, her manicured nails digging into her palms.

_Damn it…_

_**Language, **_Inner Sakurachided in a sing-song voice.

_What's keeping me from marching over there and protecting his virtue, huh?_ Sakura ranted. _I mean, I'm his team mate, so his chastity should be my business too, right?_

_**Wrong. Anyway, his chastity is a lost cause. He lost his virtue at thirteen. **_Inner Sakura snickered.

_Ew. _Sakura cringed. She _really _didn't want to think about that, since she was very much a virgin.

_**Hey, you're loss.**_

Sakura stood abruptly. She wasn't going to be nice and passive and watch the busty redhead by Kakashi's side attempt to undo his tie anymore. She strode purposely toward Kakashi, her back ramrod straight and her steps quick and business-like. "Hello, Kakashi." She said, painfully polite. "It's a pleasure, Carina."

_Oh, so that's her name. _Kakashi thought, glancing at the pretty blonde.

"Oh, so you know Kashi-kun?" Carina asked, clinging tighter to his arm. Kakashi had long lost the feeling in his left arm and the pins and needles were slowly creeping along the rest of his body, immobilized by several females.

The look in Sakura's green eyes practically scoffed – _Kashi-kun?_ – as she silently laughed at him. Kakashi wanted to let the grand open up beneath him and swallow him up as he shrunk beneath her slightly mocking gaze.

"Mm." Sakura hummed out an affirmative.

"Are you his girlfriend?" She prodded.

"Yep." She said in an offhand way. "Now, I would really appreciate it if you would get off of him." Her tone was painfully civil and clipped. They scrambled off of him, eyes wide as they apologized profusely. Naruto had obviously been bragging about her prowess as a ninja.

"Oh, and when were you going to tell me about this?" Kakashi asked, obviously amused.

"Hey, I can always call them back…"

"No thank you." He said, a bit too quickly.

"That's what I thought." She said crisply, turning and disappearing in the crowd.

Kakashi sighed and grabbed a glass of champagne from the nearest waiter and brought it to his lips, taking a sip. He wandered off to go and visit the Raikage, finally able to do his job for once.

The rest of the evening passed in a relatively boring haze. Kakashi and Sasuke stood by the Raikage, laying it on thick as Naruto bounced from one political figure to another, shaking hands and patting backs, Sakura fluttering about, attempting to be as charming as possible, smiling and laughing the delicate, chiming laugh she had practiced to perfection for this occasion. It was nearing midnight and Sakura's feet were sore, but she had put too much time in learning how to charm and giggle and walk in stilettos to throw the towel in now.

The Raikage pounded a crystal glass with a spoon, and a hush fell over the crowd of shinobi. Sakura had only ever seen someone use that method to get attention in movies, and she was rather surprised that the gentle tinkling had gotten the raucous shinobi to shut up and shut up fast. The elderly man cleared his ragged throat, raising his dull black eyes to appraise the gathered crowd of formally dressed elite shinobi.

"Now, I have a special treat for our guests from Fire." He rasped, waving his hand as a waiter came out, carrying a tray bearing four intricate porcelain tea cups, followed by another holding the tea. "This tea is made from tea leaves found only in the mountains of Cloud and laced with the juice of a special type of tiny berry grown only by the Hakuyaza Waterfall with a picking season of only twenty-four hours. This is a rare delicacy in Cloud, and I hope you enjoy." He broke into a coughing fit. Sakura instantly rushed to his side, but he waved her off. "I'm fine." He wheezed, leaning heavily against the wooden pillar behind him. She nodded and pulled away.

The waiter carefully took the porcelain teapot and poured the steaming, golden concoction into the tea cups, offering them to each of the ninja. Sakura brought hers to her lips, stopping to inhale the sweet aroma when an alarm sounded in the back of her mind. She let tendrils of chakra snake around the tea cup, delving into the sweet-smelling beverage. Her chakra picked up the presence of the potent poison immediately, and her hand snapped out, grabbing Naruto's wrist just as he was about to take a sip.

"Stop." She ordered, Naruto looking at her in confusion. She ignored him, turning to face the startled Raikage. "What is in this tea?" She demanded calmly, her eyes narrowing as she studied the Raikage's haggard features. His cheeks were hollow, as if something was slowly eating away from him on the inside, his robes hanging off of his then frame, clothes that should have fit him perfectly ridiculously big, his eyes dull voids of black nothingness, cold and empty, retaining no warmth. There were dark purple bruises beneath his eyes, as if he had not slept at all in months, his skin wrinkled a sallow, but he was only in his mid-forties. There was something wrong. This man was lifeless; a puppet. How had she not realized before?

It had finally hit in Cloud. The parasite had struck, and they had been too late to prevent it. They were all at Its mercy now.

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A/N: Oooh. Cliffy. Sorry, yet again, for the shortness. But, this story will get intresting pretty soon, so bear with me, please. **


	4. The Past, The Present, The Future

**A/N: I'm back! Thank God for weekends… **

**Disclaimer: - insert generic disclaimer here -****

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The Past. The Present. The Future.

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Sakura was always running. She ran from her fears and her guilt and her sorrow. She ran and ran and ran, seeking to outrun them, but that was never possible. They always came back, and, every time, they just hit harder.

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Sasuke…

_"You said you would always love me, Sakura. You promised, Sakura. You couldn't save me, Sakura. Shizune had to, Sakura. You're weak, Sakura, even worse than Dead Last, Sakura. You've always been helpless, Sakura. We've always had to save you, Sakura. Always… You've always been the weakest, Sakura. You're worthless, Sakura…" The way he said her name, as if it was the worst word in the world; his eyes, so cold and bleak and hard, boring into hers, the distaste in them as the light faded from his black eyes, his life's blood spilling out into the dirt as she knelt, her hands shaking, unable to do anything, like always, leaving Shizune to heal him, the boy she had pronounced her only love, now the man she could no longer call her friend, but a teammate, carrying a piece of her shattered heart._

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Naruto…

_"Sakura, stay out of this. If you get between me and Sasuke, I will kill you." His words, so harsh, grating on her ears, his eyes, intense and frigid like never before, saying what his lips could not. She was useless, a hindrance. She was nothing. The way he said her name, the absence of the suffix almost always attached to it… it chilled her blood. She was but the pretty bauble they lugged around, something nice to look at but useless in the end, just sitting in a corner, catching dust, ultimately withering away into nothingness, watching but never living, never helping, never contributing; just slowly dying by pieces._

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Kakashi…

_Never had a hurtful word slipped past his lips in her childhood. He had stood by, always having to save her, silent, unthinking, a shadow that served as a constant reminder of her failure to repay her team for all they had done for her. He was the shoulder she cried on, the hand that pulled her up when she fell; he was the rock of her life, the foundation upon which she built her existence. He was the man who stood beside her, offering his silent strength; the man she found she could love with her mind, body, and soul. He had taught her how to fight and how to live. He had taught her that love was not about taking, but about giving without expecting anything in return. He had taught her that being a ninja was not about glory or fame, but about helping others: becoming the idol that they all looked up to, being the one that they knew they could trust with their lives, being the one that ensured that they could live long, full lives, even at the loss of one's own. He had always been true, never been cold… until April 27, when he cruelly turned her away._

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Sakura slammed through life, a day at a time, with no past and no future, just today. She went through life just as Kakashi had preached, but never had lived: never seeking tomorrow, never lingering in the past, but a ghost of the present, only partly there.

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Kakashi was always watching. But, he looked at the world through the eyes of a haunted man. Everywhere he went, everywhere he looked… he saw death._

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He pushed open the door to the Yamanaka flower shop with a soft chiming of bells. Sunlight flooded the room with warmth, illuminating rows of fresh flowers. Kakashi did not see fresh, beautiful flowers, prim and filled with life. He saw wilting roses, dying by inches as they sat in the window displays. He did not see laughing children, filled with laughter and joy. He saw what they would become as the rigors of being a ninja leeched their light from them, graying their hair and claiming their lives. He did not see a cloudless blue sky. He saw clouds, bleaching the sunlight into nothing but cold, barren waste. He did not see the smiles and laughter. He saw the tears and the grief. He saw the decay and the death. He saw no beauty. He saw no light. He saw no joy. He saw no good. Until he met her._

_She had been so full of life, so bright and vibrant. Her smiles were not stolen by his cursed eyes, who had seen so much blood shed and death. They remained, haunting his every waking moment with her warmth. Her eyes, so bright, unpolluted in her childhood… Over the years, that light had dimmed, slowly but surely, as it died. It was killing Kakashi slowly to see the sadness in her eyes. The darkness had set in after Sasuke had left, but it had not come back with the stoic Uchiha._

_He had always been good at hiding his emotions. As far as he knew, she didn't know how she felt. It was better that way. She deserved someone who could give her what she deserved, not a shadow of a man like him. It could never happen._

_He didn't deserve her._

_No one did._

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She knew she needed to act fast. She had holes to plug in. How long had the parasite been in Cloud? How long had it been infecting the Raikage? Could he still be saved? Her heart was racing, the blood roaring in her ears. Naruto was looking at her strangely, puzzled. Sasuke stood, his tea held to his lips, but he did not drink. Kakashi understood immediately. Tsunade had told him, as she had told Sakura, that there was a possibility that the parasite had managed to make it to Cloud. In a flash, Kakashi was behind the Raikage, pulling his hat away and tearing the parasite from the nape of his neck.

"It wasn't half way yet." Kakashi said simply, pulling out an exploding tag (where did he even keep those things?) and sticking it to the headless, beetle-like insect in his hands. He formed a quick hand seal, dropping the beetle onto the polished marble tiles where it exploded, blackening the floor. Sakura grabbed the Raikage's elbow, steadying the elderly man.

Suddenly, a grey-haired woman was gripping Sakura's thin shoulders, shaking hard. "What have you done?" She sobbed. "What have you done to my husband?" Sakura did not answer. Her green eyes were unfocused as she slipped beneath the tides of memory.

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Two years prior…_

_The parasite had struck Konoha. No one was quite sure how it had reached the protected haven of the capital of Fire, but it had, presumably from a team of Anbu on a mission in Cloud. Tsunade and a group of carefully selected medics (Sakura among them) had rooted out the Infected Anbu members and treated them immediately. There were no casualties. They had learned well from the parasite epidemic in Sand. None of the many Anbu operatives Infected had been Infected too long to save. But, they had never found It. The Mother, otherwise regarded as It, had not been hunted down and destroyed. It still lurked, giving birth to thousands of Parasites each and every day, setting them out into the world to infect all men._

* * *

"The parasite… it only infects men…" Sakura said slowly, not addressing anyone.

"What parasite?" The thin, frail woman grasping her shoulders shrieked, shaking harder. "What is wrong with my husband?!"

"He… he's been… infected…" She said softly, the words disconnected as she struggled out of her stupor. "The parasite… it claims your body… latching on to a… a host, and… and…"

"And what?!" She screamed hysterically. "What does it do?"

"It… makes you… makes you a puppet… It drills into you… and… and…" Sakura drifted off, the dizziness too much to bear. She stumbled, falling against something solid and warm. "Kakashi…"

"It takes your body captive, devouring your brain and replacing that with its body. When the host's body is completely claimed, it absorbs the entire parasite." Kakashi finished patiently, stroking Sakura's hair soothingly. He turned to address the hysteric woman. "Your husband is fine. The Parasite, the beetle, wasn't fully absorbed. He'll recover."

"The girl… What's wrong with her?"

"Sometimes, the scent of a Parasite's blood is enough to evoke mindlessness in some." Kakashi said, guiding the dizzy, giggly kunoichi to a chair. She looked like she was drunk, her cheeks flushed, giggles spilling out at random intervals. "Shhh." Kakashi murmured.

"This parasite," A dark-haired woman cut in, "is it a threat?"

"Without a doubt." Kakashi said, turning to regard the chestnut-skinned woman with the feral green eyes. "This parasite… it is capable of wiping out all of mankind; shinobi, civilians, right down to the tiniest insect. But, it will do worst than that. It will claim our bodies and use them, using females as brood mares, creating more vessels; essentially, a factory for the parasite."

"Is there anything we can do to stop it?" The woman asked, her full lips twisting down in a frown.

"Killing them off one by one is impossible." Kakashi said, his charcoal eyes dead serious. "You would have to go straight to the source. You would have to kill It. The problem is, no one knows what It really is."

* * *

Sakura awoke in a bottomless feather mattress, a ceiling fan spinning lazily above her, cool air sliding along her face, soothing her pounding head. It was a hangover, but worse. It was parasite intoxication. The events of the previous night came flooding back to her. The parasite… the Raikage… the tea… that unbearable blond…

"You awake, sleeping beauty?" A laughing voice sounded from somewhere to her left. She shot up, realizing that she was still in the black evening gown from before. She glowered at the jounin sitting in an armchair by her bedside, looking totally relaxed. His headband sat on the bedside table, his silvery hair falling into his eyes, his sharingan closed beneath a long pink scar as he lounged in the soft cushions, flipping through his glaring orange porn – ahem – romance - novel. Even though the series consisted of over twenty smutty novels, Icha Icha Paradise still seemed to hold a special place in Kakashi's heart.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"I was bored, so I came to watch you snort." He drawled, his eye crinkling, hinting of a smile beneath his mask. Sakura's cheeks burned as she snatched up the nearest item (a floor lamp) and chucked it at his head. He ducked, his eyes never leaving his book as he tsked. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura… We're guests here, so don't go around throwing lamps. I know it's a dear old habit of yours, but really, I don't fancy sleeping beneath the trees with Uzumaki 'Wandering Hands' Naruto. The boy does the strangest things in his sleep, like the time when…"

The way Kakashi spoke was even more infuriating than the way he thought it was perfectly fine to invite himself into a lady's room, his student's, nonetheless.

_**Not that I mind… **_**Inner Sakura** snickered.

"Out. _Now_. And take your little doggies with you." Sakura growled, pointing an accusing finger at Pakkun and a few of his friends having a party in her suitcases.

"Hai, hai." He drawled, closing his book with a snap and sliding it into his kunai holster. He scooped up his headband and stuffed it in his pockets along with his fists as he motioned with his chin for the dogs to head out. There were a few canine grumbles before the dogs poofed away. Kakashi turned, gave a little two-fingered salute/wave (Sakura could never figure out what it really was), and did the same.

_Damn that man… All he has to do smile mask-less or do something cute like that and I can't stay mad at him. _Sakura sighed, bending down to riffle through her clothes, shoving a few mysteriously (and hopefully they would stay that way) stained shirts aside into a closet where they would most likely never see the light of day (or at least until some poor, unfortunate soul discovered both them and their smell). She pulled out her customary top and medic skirt complete with black spandex shorts, folded them over her arm, and slipped into the bathroom for a long, relaxing soak. She had a feeling that she would need it.

The next few days would be difficult.

**

* * *

A/N: Short, but I thought, what the heck, why not post it? I haven't updated for over a week, so I decided to put those of you actually waiting for the next chapter out of your misery.**


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